Chap. 17 Swimming with Dolphins

Chap  17 Swimming with the dolphins

Raventh was fascinated by dolphins. He'd seen them in the distance, their shining forms flying through the air in leaps.

But he'd never met one. Until today.

I'm going fishing Raventh said, and galloped into the sea. Once his feet left the sand he swam powerfully out to a depth where he was floating. Then he began to dive, searching for fish.

K'ndar had walked very gingerly into the sea, not going beyond a depth more than waist deep. Despite it being calm, without any wind, he could feel the waves gently moving him back and forth. Being steppe bred, he'd never learned to swim, and was very much afraid of going any deeper.  Some of his classmates had given him a few preliminary bits of advice, but this was not the lake, and they weren't here. He was confident, though, that as long as his feet were on the sea floor, that if he got in trouble, Raventh would rescue him.  

Surfacing with a snort, Raventh shook his head. 

You are alright?

I am but I will not go any deeper

You are afraid

Yes

At that moment, six dorsal fins sliced through the water, surrounding Raventh.

Dolphins.  Five of them stood upright in the water, looking at Raventh, whose eyes were an astonished green. The sixth one leaped out of the water just in front of the dragon.

Dolphins. K'ndar, dolphins! They are so shiny. No legs! No wings!

One of the dolphins swam up to K'ndar, touching his arm with its blunt nose. It stood upright in the water, looking at him. K'ndar noticed it appeared to be smiling. He was astonished at the intelligence in its eye. As there was no rubber on Pern, he had no words to express the sleek, shining appearance of the dolphin's skin.  

"Who you?" asked one.

K'ndar had been told, several times, that dolphins could talk, but he'd never been so close to such an amazing creature, and his brain took a few moments to decipher the strange voice and accent.

"Who you? Your name?"

K'ndar was still slow on comprehending.

"I Leap. Who you?"

"I'm..I'm K'ndar."

"Keeendar."

"Yes"

It is talking to you!

It is. He says his name is Leap.

"Dragon name?"

"Leap, my dragon is Raventh."

"Ravehhhhhhhn", Leap repeated, in a high pitched tone that was quite clear,now that K'ndar had the pitch. 

"Yes. He has been wanting to meet dolphins for a very long time."

"He wants to play?"

Tell him yes, I want to play

You can understand him?

Of course. You can, yes? But I don't think he can hear me. I tried.

"Yes, Raventh wants to play."

"You want to play too?

"No"

"You no like dolphin?"

"I like you very much. But I don't know how to swim. I am afraid."

Leap made a funny noise, sounding like a laugh. How could anything be afraid of water??

"No worry. We will take care of you. You hold onto my fin."

K'ndar, timidly, took hold of Leap's dorsal fin and was suddenly being towed at high speed through the water.

"Stop!! Too fast!" he shouted, having almost taken in a mouthful of salt water.

"No worry. We never hurt humans. We save humans all time. Please no worry. Play with us and your dragon."

"How can I play?"

"You climb on dragon. Jump into water."

"I'm afraid."

NO FEAR, Keendar, we never let you drown. How you learn swim? Trust me."

So K'ndar climbed aboard with difficulty the slippery, joyous Raventh, and holding his nose as he'd been taught, jumped from the dragons' back, feet first. He went under…and felt a strong body underneath his. Then he was astride, just behind the dorsal fin. It was like being on an extremely smooth and  hairless horse, but much stronger, catching him and pushing him up to the surface. 

He realized that that..had been..if not fun, at least not deathly fearful.

"You like?" Leap asked, his head lifted from the sea. Kandar was still chest deep in the water, holding on tightly to the dorsal fin. His feet were NOT on the sea floor. That bothered him…but he forced himself to trust the dolphin under him.

"I …I like."

He won't hurt you, K'ndar. He will help you. He is fun. They all are. See how they play with me!

But you can swim.

So can you. Trust them.

"You ready?" Leap said.

"For what?" 

"What you did. I toss you. You fall into water I catch you."

"Um……"

Without another word, Leap made a giant leap skyward, twisting,  and K'ndar went flying through the air. He splashed down on his back, gasping in surprise, and was immediately lifted again by the strong body of another dolphin. She shook him into position behind her dorsal fin and tossed him again.

After the third toss, he began to believe he'd be fine. It was like riding a bucking horse, without the painful landing on solid ground. 

Raventh's joy must have broadcast to every dragon in the weyr, because several joined him, with their more confident riders. 

"Why should you have all the fun!" shouted Siena, a girl who'd graduated last year, and rode a gold. Her gold, while still a long yearling, was already much larger than Raventh. She plunged into the water with a happy rumble. SHE knew what dolphins were and immediately engaged them in play. Siena climbed aboard her gold and dove expertly into the water, eliciting what could only have been happy cheers from the dolphins. 

She popped up, shaking her head, a dolphin on each side of her, laughing.

"Try that!" she called, her smile bright.

"I can't swim!" K'ndar called.

"Seems you're doing alright, anyway. Hello, dolphins! It's me! Siena!"

"Seeena!  We know you! I Bounce!"

Bounce then leaped straight up into the air, turned over onto his back and hit the water with a mighty splash. Everyone…dolphins, humans and dragons, all laughed.

Then transpired the most entrancing, at times scary, at times exhilerating time he'd ever experienced. As long as he held onto the dorsal fin, he felt safe, allowing the dolphins to throw him, while the others were leaping OVER Raventh's back, swimming underneath him, laughing and squealing. Raventh was laughing too, in his dragon way, throwing great gouts of water with scooped wings and creating rainbows. 

After what seemed to be forever, the dolphins slowed their play. 

K'ndar was towed to Raventh, where he grabbed onto one of his brown's  gently paddling forelegs.

"You learn swim now. Watch Seena." the dolphin said.

Siena swam over with powerful, graceful strokes, a dolphin alongside her. 

"Show K'ndar swim like canine," she said.

"K'ndar, it's easy. For now, do what we call a dog paddle. Just trot like a horse with all fours in the water. Keep your mouth closed except to take in air."

Siena began to dog paddle around in circles. K'ndar, self-conscious, tried it. Leap was right alongside him.

After a few strokes he began to realize it was easy. It wasn't that smooth graceful motion that Siena made, knifing through the water almost as neatly as a dolphin…but it was swimming. 

"See? You swim. Swim to shore. Next time we come we have more lesson," Leap said.

K'ndar, who by now was more than ready to get back to land, dog paddled a little more strongly than need be.  Raventh was behind, solicitous of his rider, but trusting…and liking very much, the coaching dolphins.

His feet touched bottom and he stopped paddling and walked, staggering as he left the water. He was exhausted.

Raventh had followed, making sure K'ndar got to shore safely. Then he said, I'm going back out. I'm not done playing. He returned to the water.

K'ndar turned back. The dolphins were in water just barely covering their backs.

"Thank you. That was fun! You will come back someday?"

They all squee'd. "We will. When we hear dragons, we come back if we not hunting."